#ResistReport, Vol. 3

Welcome to the latest issue of Greenlining’s #ResistReport, which appears on our blog every Thursday. With so many harmful policies coming out of Washington, we hope this will help our friends and supporters plug into grassroots activities to resist these policies here in the Bay Area and around the country.

If you find this weekly compilation of actions, updates, and resources useful, please share it with your friends and colleagues.

TAKE ACTION:

Individual Actions:

It’s not over! Call your member of Congress to defend the Affordable Care Act. Even though ACHA (“Trumpcare”) failed last week, Congress still wants to repeal Obamacare and Trump (aka 45) has many ways to undermine it. Your representatives need to know why the ACA matters to you and why they must not take away our health care.

Build the It Takes a Village Nation community, a new social platform for activists, creatives, and community-focused organizers celebrating its launch at Greenlining’s Oakland headquarters on Thursday 4/6 at 6:30 p.m.

Join this panel discussion on LGBTQ rights with Warriors’ President and COO Rick Welts, Advocate Mia Satya, and San Francisco school board commissioner Matt Haney on Wednesday 3/29 at 6:30 p.m.

Meet with Bay Area Planning Commissioners at this roundtable discussion in SF, Wednesday 3/29 at 6:30 p.m.

Connect with other womxn at SHEnanigans: 5th Annual Women’s History Month Celebration on Thursday 3/30 at 6:30 p.m.

Fight against 45’s attacks on unions and lift up black worker justice on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Stand with union workers, security officers, and fast food workers on Tuesday 4/4 at 3:30 p.m.

Attend ‘45’s First 100 Days: Part Three’ in SF on Thursday 4/6 at 6:30 p.m. Co-hosted by The Commonwealth Club and KQED, speakers include Republican National Committeewoman for California Harmeet Dhillon and SF Supervisor Jane Kim.

WINS FOR COMMUNITIES OF COLOR:

American Healthcare Act (“Trumpcare”) Pulled:

Grassroots pressure works! Huge pressure from constituents (#KilltheBill trended on social media as things came to a head) swayed moderate Republicans in swing districts while the highly conservative “Freedom Caucus” thought ACHA didn’t go far enough. Greenlining joined with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation to place an op-ed column in the Modesto Bee to put pressure on that area’s congressman, Rep. Jeff Denham. Denham never endorsed the bill.

BUT, while we won an important battle, this fight is not over! Already this week, 45’s chief strategist Steve Bannon has hosted quiet talks with the GOP factions who still want to kill the Affordable Care Act, and Trump claimed that it could happen “very quickly.” Meanwhile, the administration could undermine the law administratively.

$87 Million Settlement to Address Flint Water Crisis:

Three years after Flint, Michigan residents began suffering from lead-contaminated water, a federal judge has approved an $87 million settlement (with an additional $10 million available) for Flint to ‘identify and replace at least 18,000 unsafe water lines by 2020.’ While the settlement does not provide door-to-door delivery of bottled water as requested, the state will continue its Medicaid expansion for Flint residents, ‘covering pregnant women and children younger than 21 up to 400% of the poverty level through March 2021,’ and will continue elevated blood level case management services through September 2018.

Work through this hefty but important reading list for white folks to unpack white privilege, white supremacy, and the relationship between white liberal culture and 45’s election.

Contacting your Representatives:

Facebook unveiled a new ‘Town Hall’ feature, which connects you with your representatives’ FB pages and allows you to contact them via FB messenger.

‘Our States’ tracks which states are pursuing legislation to ban sanctuary cities and campuses, punish protestors, restrict reproductive rights, restrict voting rights, and more. The site also offers advice on pressuring state legislators through meetings, media, and direct action.

Art as Resistance:

Print your own March for Science posters for free, courtesy of artist Robert Rigel.

Post visions of social justice on your office or home, thanks to The Akonadi Foundation’s Racial Justice Poster Project. Order yours for free today.

Tools & Toolkits:

South Asian American human rights startup Equality Labs has a free ‘Digital Security in the Era of 45’ self-defense curriculum.

The new Advancing Muslim American Leadership (AMAL) website connects Muslim Americans with opportunities in public service.

The Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC) offers free community resources, ranging from DACA support to guidance for schools and immigrant youth to family preparedness plans.

FINALLY, SOMETHING TO WARM YOUR HEART:

Fellowships for Formerly Incarcerated Artists. The Right of Return USA Fellowship from the Soze Agency awards $20k grants to painters, sculptors, filmmakers, and performers who have served time in America’s penal system. Soze co-founder Michael Skolnik said, “Imagine what artists who have experienced incarceration have to share with the rest of the world.”

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Links from Greenlining to third-party sites do not constitute an endorsement by Greenlining of the sites, organizations, or of any candidate or policy position.